Taiyo wo Shinkou - Have Faith in the Sun
by TheCrazyAuthors
Summary: First volume of the A Lily Blooming in Nippon Remix. Nippon is haunted by more demons than you know. Caught in the middle of a six-hundred-year game of chance, Eliza is forced to stand in for a goddess in hiding to both save Nippon and all of the gods that it holds dear.


_Well, you guys have been waiting for it long enough, and I planned to deliver._

Hello all and welcome back to the

_**A Lily Blooming in Nippon**__ series, now __**A Lily Blooming in Nippon: Remix **__with separate titles! And a very happy almost-three-year anniversary to the series! To those of you just joining, us, I'm Senom299, one of the five members of the __**Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny**_ _self-insert project and primarily humor writer. I cancelled my old series, the third volume being finished half a year ago, and planned to make a glorious comeback with less plot holes, longer chapters, and an entire more relatable cast. Hopefully I will fulfill all of these here in the grand rewrite._

_In the past, the cast members would state our disclaimer and review request, but since it's a bit early for us to have introduced any yet: __**I, Senom299, do not own Okami/den or its corresponding characters. I own my own OCs, my writing style, and my added ideas only.**_

_Enjoy the show!_

**0-0-0-0-0**

Someone once told me that every human being is a dreamer. That it's in our nature to lust for the impossible-what we can't have. We all dream in different ways, though. Some people choose to share their dreams visually, and others choose to keep them locked inside until no one will ever hear them again. And there are different things that spur our dreams into motion-our friends, our family, the things we devote our lives to.

I've dreamt before.

I've dreamt of worlds only spoken of in fairy tales and fiction, where damsels in distress really are rescued by their knights in gleaming armor and physical dragons can be slain with a swipe of the blade. I've dreamt of worlds where the air and water are pure and beasts hold providence over man, and where the sky or the sea makes up our world rather than the land. Most of the time, these aren't even worlds-these are fragments of worlds that I wish we could just pluck out of our subconscious and spread into our own world like seeds in the wind so they can bloom one day and bring a more innocent side of human nature about.

But the world is too cruel to dreamers.

"Okay, but if Pandora had never opened the box…" I hunched over my desk in the corner of my grandmother's attic, which could barely support a toddler's playroom and much less a teenager's bedroom that usually served as a guest room, cradling the cordless phone from downstairs between my shoulder and ear and scribbling on my notebook with a nearly-dry quill. Yes, I know, it was anachronistic, but everything about her house _was._ Mom had barely convinced her to buy the phone to begin with for when I had to stay over. "... then someone else would have had to come along and open it instead, right? Isn't it some law of the universe that nothing gold can stay?"

"I'm pretty sure that's just a poem…" Brit sniggered from the other end of the line. While I was still stuck finishing my English homework based off Greek myths, Brittani was sitting around actually reading the interesting stuff. You can only read Pandora's story so many times before you get a huge urge to listen to Pandora Radio and read about something more interesting and unbelievable, like the prince's serpent brother who would continuously reappear to tell his sibling "a bride for me before a bride for you" because his mother disobeyed the instructions given so she could give birth, or how women in Celtic myths tended to warriors and the fiercest gods were usually female.

Anyway, things just tended to be more boring when you were stuck analyzing them for an assignment.

"What if the gods had never trusted a mortal with the box to _begin_ with, though?" She suggested. "They knew the importance of not letting sin escape into the world. Actually, why should they trust humans with anything at all?"

"But there are gods that would try to open the box just for the kicks and giggles." I tapped the end of my quill against the desk. "Like Loki-wait, no, wrong culture. Who's the closest you've got to a trickster god in Greece? Eris, chaos, right? Gods get bored because they have so much time on their hands, and then they start screwing around with mortal affairs. So there's no way that someone, mortal or immortal, wouldn't open the box of evils at some point in time."

There was a pause.

"You're writing all this down, right? It's your grade, Li, not mine."

I groaned and started rummaging through the desk drawers for a full container of ink. "No, because the quill's dry and Grandma isn't about to start stocking something sensible like pens in her house. And apparently I used the last of the ink Tuesday when I had to finish that other essay. I'll find something to wrap this one up later."

There was suddenly a crash from downstairs and what sounded like a bout of foreign swearing. I sighed.

"And that'll be the dog breaking Grandma's things again. I'll go see if I can't minimize the damage. Talk to you tomorrow, Brit."

"This thing's not due until next week. You can just take it easy..." I could almost see her shaking her head over the line. "Whatever. See you in class."

I pushed my tiny chair back, letting it scrape across the wooden floor, and stood up to head downstairs through the trapdoor at the edge of my room. The attic was pretty much directly over the dining and bathroom areas of the house-yes, the house was that small when you took the size of my baby room into consideration-with a trapdoor that hung directly over the connecting hallway. Basically, I had a pretty good idea of anything that was going on while Grandma was baking or, once upon a time, my parents stayed for evenings while insisting my brother and I stay upstairs. It was actually a very nice place to spy on people, what with the holes in the floor. Of course, that meant people could hear my every word from upstairs if they really cared to, but...

As soon as my feet touched the floor of the hallway, a blur of black and white fuzz darted from the kitchen and began leaping about as cheerful as can be. At about the same time, an elderly woman with a teaspoon with one hand and a ceramic shard in the other appeared in the doorway, a furious look on her makeup-cloaked face.

"That dog of yours is about to be turned out, _chica._" Grandma Lily leered at the Miniature Schnauzer that was now pawing at my bare leg. I fought a grin and picked him up, cradling the bundle of fluff and mischief into my arms.

"Grimm's a puppy, Grandma. He doesn't know any better. And I'm sure he's sorry." At this, Grimm squirmed and twisted to lick at my face, catching a few locks of my bangs in the process. I ran a hand through his fur a few times in return, noting that my grandmother's expression didn't change. She shook her head and returned to the kitchen, dropping the shard on the floor.

"At least clean up his mess since he can't do it himself. Thank you kindly, Eliza. I'll have tea out in the living room in a few minutes if you'll get rid of the pot for me." Her footsteps trailed away, along with a mutter of _puppy, indeed_.

I watched her leave before allowing myself a small smirk and turning to Grimm, who just panted enthusiastically and stared at me with beady, guiltless eyes. "I didn't like her pot much, either." Gently, I set him back on the floor and headed into the living room. "Come on, let's go clean this mess up."

Grimm barked twice and trailed behind me while I grabbed a dustpan from the closet and surveyed the damage. Sure enough, it was a pot that Grandma had been partial to-a horrendous display of an eight-headed serpent with one head bowed in front of what was probably supposed to be something a lot more frightening than a little manatee in a bowl.

That's what it looked like, anyway.

The whole thing was in a kind of black-and-cream color scheme, and the figures looked like someone had scribbled them on in crayon. Grandma loved it and I swear I've had dreams before where I've seen her stroking the pot with a weird smile on her face. But maybe those are just dreams. In any case, I thought it was hideous and obviously Grimm did, too. He even wagged his tail while I picked up the pieces.

"Don't let that dog out when you leave the house!" Grandma shrieked from the kitchen. I just rolled my eyes and patted Grimm's head after he leapt onto the couch, watching me with soulful gray eyes.

"I'll be back in a minute. Don't break the teacups, okay? I actually like those." I stood back up and headed outside in the bitter January air. The house was fairly secluded-we lived twenty minutes from any actual cities and thirty from my regular house. If I actually lived here with my grandmother in the middle of Nowhere the Forest, I'd end up going to the nearby county school instead of the city school at home. That's how bad it was.

I sighed and dumped the remains of the pot into the outdoor trash can and squinted off toward the road. It was almost dark now, and my brother wasn't supposed to pick me up until he finished his third part-time job interview this month. Who knew how long _that _would take. Claus could be a charismatic speaker when he wanted to be, but that was mostly when talking to females that caught his eye. The whole "required speaking to people" thing could go either way for him. He hadn't tried to call me yet, so it would probably still at least be another hour before I saw him.

As I turned the doorknob to step back inside, I caught sight of something reflected behind me in the window glass. I only caught a glimpse before turning around, but it had almost looked like someone was behind me. No one was there on the stepping stones leading up to the patio through the grass.

"I have _got _to get more sleep." I muttered, pulling the door open and heading back inside. The house was now filled with the heavy scent of Grandma's favorite tea, an herbal blend that she refused to reveal the ingredients to. _Her ancient secret_, she called it. Whatever it was, it had a kind of calming effect and a smell that reminded me of when I'd tried my hand at gardening for a science fair project-one that I could just never place, but definitely one like something coming out of the earth. Anyway, she tended to brew it whenever she was in one of her moods or I had to sleep over for the night.

When I walked in, Grimm was already back at my heels with his tail waving back and forth and a toy bone in his mouth. I knelt down to scratch him behind the ears, then headed into the kitchen. Grandma had left a cup on the counter and was sitting in the living room.

"Your brother called." Since the house was so tightly packed, she didn't even have to raise her voice. "He had to run a side errand for your mother and won't be here for a few hours. Should I take you home or do you want to stay?"

I sighed and took the cup of tea into the room, sitting next to her. Grimm trotted in and laid down at my feet. "I'll stay. Maybe I can get a nap in upstairs while I'm waiting for him."

I took a sip of the tea and reached down to scratch the dog. Grandma's face was unreadable-I couldn't tell whether she disapproved of me doting on the dog so much or was pleased that I was staying.

"Well, finish your tea first. I'll let you know when he's here."

"Thanks, Grandma."

A few minutes passed in silence as we just sat and drank our tea. True, Grandma could get a bit overbearing when it came to Grimm, but it wasn't her fault that she lived in tight circumstances. I had to have a certain level of respect for her, going on the way she did without ever taking help from anyone.

"I'll take your cup to the kitchen if you're finished." She spoke up, setting her own down. "You should go upstairs and take your nap."

I nodded and handed her the cup carefully, then stood up. I already felt light-headed. "Yeah, I'll go on up. I'll see you in a few hours."

Grimm whined when I started walking into the hallway, but I didn't stop until I'd pulled the trapdoor down.

"You can't come up, Grimm. It's too high." I started up the wooden steps, but had to look back down when he just kept on, louder. "... Grandma, can I carry him up tonight? He's lonely."

"If you drop him or if he breaks something, the blame goes to you." She called from the kitchen. Half-grinning, I scooped him up in one arm and continued the ascent.

The room felt warmer than usual when I made it in, especially for the middle of January. "Geez, that tea was strong," I grumbled, collapsing onto the bed and curling up with Grimm. He wagged his tail once and then sat down over me, stiff as a guard dog. It was halfway funny and halfway creepy.

Everything blurred and span, and I pulled my legs up to my chest. After that, everything was black.

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

When I opened my eyes, it was to a dark room that looked as if it were being used as a temple or shrine. Purple flames burned on two torches on each side of a hole in the wall with a rug hung over it-probably to act as a door. The floor and walls were solid gray stone so far as I could tell from the floor. Behind me, there were two more torches with the same purple fire standing on either side of an altar. A hooded figure knelt down in front of it, hands clasped in prayer.

My first thought was something along the lines of _Oh, hell, here I am in some sort of underground cult dream where I'm getting sacrificed for the sake of a bunch of mad people who want eternal life or some crap. This is _the _weirdest dream I've had on Grandma's tea.._ The second came when she—the hood slipped just enough she stood to reveal a long silver-white braid falling over her shoulder, so I could only assume—stood up and turned around.

"Hi, Lilac. That's what you go by now, isn't it? I'm sorry I haven't been paying much attention over the years..."

_Definitely mad._

I opened my mouth to ask a question, thought better of it when about fifteen of them clamored to go first, and shut it. The woman's lips curled into an apologetic smile. She sounded—and looked—extremely young, maybe about my age. But her voice almost sounded sagely, like an old woman who had seen too much of the world.

"I know this will all seem ridiculous to you, but pretend you trust and believe me for a few minutes. My name is Sayuri, and I'm an… old family friend."

"An old family friend." I repeated. "Who I just happen to be _magically _dreaming about right now from my grandmother's house. Did you drug me and kidnap me or am I just having a _really_ messed up dream?"

Sayuri's smile didn't disappear. "I told you to at least pretend you believe me. I should have guessed you'd be hard to convince… I was too, once upon a time. But now isn't once upon a time." She pulled her cloak around her more tightly and secured her hood before continuing. "Let's move on under the impression that this is a dream. I need you to… run an errand for me in this dream. A very important, very dangerous errand. More of a quest, really."

"I've been reading too much again." I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "A _quest_? Seriously? What do you want me to do? Should I pull a sword from a stone? Slay a powerful demon with power I don't have?"

"That," Sayuri paused and grinned broadly, "is almost exactly what I'm asking you to do. But that comes later. And that's why you're perfect for the job. I'm about to send you to a place that you've heard of in your fairy tales. When you get there, take things as they come. Look for the man who guards a specific blade, and tell him I sent you to him. By then, everything should be clear enough."

There was a sound like a crash from outside the temple… room… whatever, and a woman's shriek. "She's here!"

Sayuri's expression changed in an instant and she strode past me. "We had a _deal_! She can't get in here, lady!"

"Well, she's trying!" The reply came, desperate and strained. Sayuri swore under her breath and turned back to me.

"Listen to me. The chessboard has already been mapped out for you. Follow the set of tactics you've been given. There are two guardians in the world below that know what to do. Follow them, and don't stray from that path. You'll pretend to trust me, right?"

"You're a madwoman in a temple who's telling me to go on a quest for you." I stared at her, trying to see under the shadows. She sighed and turned away.

"Good, because that's exactly what I would say. Thank you, Lilac. I'm sorry it has to be like this."

She cast a hand over one of the torches, and it blazed even higher until a separate ball formed over her palm. She turned slowly, holding it out toward me.

"Take this and remember what I've told you. No matter what everything seems like here, it'll all make sense later."

"Sayuri!"

"I'm coming, lady!" Sayuri gritted her teeth. " Hurry. Now!"

I hesitated, glanced into the shadows, then sighed. "I don't have a choice, huh?" I stretched out my hand and grasped the fire, which felt more like steam. "… Sayuri?"

"Yes?" She drew back and pulled a rosary from the folds of her cloak. _What is she doing with a rosary—never mind, it's a temple._

"Lilac was a long time ago. I go by Eliza now."

She gave the smallest hint of a smile again and flicked the rosary in one smooth motion. "Right answer, Eliza. I'll see you around."

And then, the world exploded in heat, steam, and lavender light.

**0-0-0-0-0**

_Hope you guys enjoyed the prologue. For anyone who's either returning from the old version or new to the series entirely, here's some brief notes on how some plot points were figured:_

- Lily will no longer be the plot device she was in the original. This isn't to say that she won't be important later on, but she is

_**not **__dating a crossed-over god from another game again. _

_- Yes, Li's name was changed. Her full name is still Elizalilac for some odd sentimental reason, but for everyone's comfort including a certain mermaid's it will remain Eliza officially for the duration of this series._

_- If Li's attitude seems toned down and she seems a lot less Sue-ish, that means I'm doing my job and making her seem like a human being. If not, please let me know so I can add some handicaps to her character._

_That'll solve it._

_Yup._

_At present, the schedule should run on an update-per-two-weeks basis. If it isn't so, then I'll let you guys know __**ahead of the scheduled update day**__ on my deviantART, Senom299. And as such, at an undetermined date hopefully in your near future is Chapter II: __**River of Wishes**__. _

_Please review and continue following the story as we go! I missed you guys. _


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